THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake Shoots for Nostalgia and Nails It | Gert Lush Gaming
Step into the blood-soaked streets of a city overrun, where every corner hides a grotesque surprise and every bullet counts. THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake invites players to relive the cult-classic rail shooter with modern flair, plunging into a high-octane nightmare as AMS agents James and Gary. With branching paths, co-op chaos, and a remastered soundtrack that pulses with undead energy, this reimagining doesn’t just resurrect the past, it mutates it. Let’s dive deep into the guts and glory of this arcade revival.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake Review Pros
- Awesome graphics.
- 3.5GB download size.
- Own in-game achievements, and they pop up when you earn them.
- Display settings – language, hide HUD, HUD scale slider, menu scale, and score notifications mode (enabled/disabled/minimal).
- Sound options – master volume, music, sound effects, UI effects volume, dialogue volume, shot volume, mute RELOAD scream, and use classic music option.
- Gameplay settings – vibration, player colour, outline thickness, outline opacity, Crosshair shadow opacity, display ammo on Crosshair, Crosshair speed, and automatic reload. These options are independent for both players.
- Light gun-style arcade shooter gameplay.
- Optional tutorial prompts.
- The campaign has two modes – Original and Arcade. You can edit each one – difficulty level, score mode (classic/modern), and multiplayer mode (disabled/cooperative/competitive).
- Two playable characters – Gary Stewart and James Taylor.
- Select a chapter for the campaign modes once you have unlocked them.
- Online leaderboards with filters.
- First-person view in the game and third-person in cutscenes.
- Horror B-movie vibe to the story and acting.
- The secret lab is where you can view details and character models, view achievements, and lockers where you find keys in the levels to open them.
- Hold the Joycon like a gun when using motion sensors, amd you can set the game to one Joycon mode.
- Controller settings are for each individual player – aim set to the left, right stick or both, sensitivity sliders, invert axis, aim acceleration, and gyroscope support.
- Three game modes – Campaign, boss rush, and training mode. Both support two-player.
- Five game difficulties – very easy, easy, normal, hard, and very hard.
- Toggle the cursor showing up on the screen, but more aimed at the menus.
- Modern and classic score mode options.
- It supports playing with the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller.
- Multiple endings.
- Horde mode is just the game, but with a lot more enemies, and each encounter is given a skill rating.
- Customise the cursor with colour, opacity, thickness, speed of crosshair, and crosshair speed.
- Local two-player support, and you can do cooperative and/or competitive scoring.
- Auto reloads option, which makes life a lot easier, and you can set the reload delay with a slider.
- Tons of replay value and score chasing.
- The gallery shows a 3D model and the weak points of discovered enemies, earned medals from play, and secret collectables.
- Full stats screen.
- Every level has multiple routes, secret areas, collectables, power-ups, and bonuses.
- Shoot zombies and body parts break off them and they react so arms means they can only bite, legs slow them down, etc.
- Massive boss encounters.
- It’s an on-rails shooter, but you can shoot at things as the screen moves around.
- Intact and excellent soundtrack, and that’s both classic and modern versions.
- Points pop up as you hit them and show if it’s a critical shot.
- In-game cutscenes that can be skipped, but why would you do that!
- Photo mode.
- Five guns in-game – pistol, crossbow, grenade launcher, pitter, and assault rifle.
- Destructible elements in the environment.
- One of the best arcade experiences, hands down.
- So much fun to play and so accessible, as it’s just point and shoot.
- The accessibility options do make it easier than ever for players to jump in.
- All settings can be changed at any time through the pause menu.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake Review Cons
- You will need to make sure there is no glare on the screen, as it plays havoc with the aiming and shooting.
- Cannot rebind controls.
- No way to turn off or change the colour of the blood.
- I wish it had some history or extras about the game series.
- No music player.
- You cannot change the colour of the blood or indeed turn it off.
- A slight slowdown in places.
- Had the game hard crash to the dashboard a couple of times.
- Is only one version of the game, so you cannot choose between different regions.
- It does work holding the controller as a gun, but it’s not as precise or as annoying, as you cannot tweak settings to fix or improve that.
- Noticed a slight hitching when an achievement is about to pop.
- As an old gamer, I wish I could slow the pace down a bit, as my reactions are not what they once were, and for some collectables, you have to be so fast, and I am so not.
Related Post: The House Of The Dead Remake PS5 Review
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake
Developer: MegaPixel Studio S.A.
Publisher: Forever Entertainment S. A.
Store Link:
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake Review
Summary
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake – The Thrills and Highlights of Gameplay
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake delivers a blood-soaked arcade shooter that nails the nostalgic vibe while adding modern flair. You’re dropped into a city crawling with grotesque surprises, playing as AMS agents James and Gary in a relentless rail shooter packed with branching paths, massive boss fights, and destructible environments. Whether you’re blasting through campaign, boss rush, or training mode, the game supports two-player co-op and competitive scoring. With five difficulty levels, multiple endings, and a horde mode that cranks up the chaos, there’s serious replay value. The gunplay is tight, responsive, and accessible—just point and shoot. Customisation runs deep, from crosshair tweaks to controller sensitivity, and even Joy-Con motion support. Score chasing, critical hits, and unlockable secrets keep the adrenaline flowing.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake – Where It Falls Short: Key Negatives
Despite its strengths, THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake stumbles in a few areas. Glare on the screen can mess with aiming, and there’s no option to rebind controls or adjust blood colour. The lack of a music player or series history extras feels like a missed opportunity. Occasional slowdowns and hard crashes to the dashboard break immersion, and motion controls, while fun, aren’t precise enough without deeper calibration. Achievement pop-ups can cause hitching, and older players may find the pace too frantic, especially when chasing fast-moving collectables. It’s a single-region release, so no option to switch versions.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake – Immersive Story and Narrative Elements
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake leans hard into its horror B-movie roots, with cheesy dialogue and over-the-top cutscenes that are skippable but oddly charming. You’ll uncover secrets, unlock lockers, and explore a secret lab filled with character models and achievements. The story is simple but effective, driving the action forward with just enough camp to keep things entertaining. It’s not deep, but it doesn’t need to be; it’s all about the vibe.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake – Visual and Performance Aspects
Visually, THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake punches above its weight. The graphics are sharp, enemy reactions are satisfyingly gory, and the environments are packed with destructible elements. The game runs well overall, though minor hitches and crashes do occur. Sound design is top-tier, with both classic and remastered music options, and a full suite of audio sliders to fine-tune everything from dialogue to gunfire. Accessibility is a strong point, with adjustable HUD, crosshair, and menu scaling, plus vibration and reload delay settings that make it easier for anyone to jump in.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake – Overall Verdict: Is It Worth Playing?
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake is one of the best arcade experiences available, especially for fans of light gun shooters and score-chasing chaos. It’s fast, fun, and packed with options that cater to both newcomers and veterans. While it’s not perfect, missing a few quality-of-life features and suffering from occasional performance hiccups, it absolutely nails the core gameplay and atmosphere. If you’re after a nostalgic thrill ride with modern polish, this remake delivers in spades.
Back of the Box Quotes:
“THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 Remake: Point, shoot, and relive the chaos.”
